Silverstein Brought 25 Years of Pure Nostalgia to Edmonton

Canadian post-hardcore heavyweights Silverstein brought their 25 Years of Noise tour to Edmonton, making it an emo night to remember. Formed in 2000, the band is currently comprised of lead vocalist Shane Told, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Paul Marc Rousseau, rhythm guitarist Josh Bradford, bassist Billy Hamilton, and drummer Paul Koehler. The band brought along post-hardcore groups Bloom and Free Throw to kick off the sold out show, followed by scene staple Thursday. With Silverstein being a Canadian band, Thursday frontman Geoff Rickley joked that they had to add someone Canadian to their American ensemble, with Alexisonfire’s Wade McNeil joining them as a touring guitarist.

With a heated up crowd and anticipation brewing, Silverstein’s set started with visuals on multiple screens, playing grainy concert videos from the start of their career with Told’s voiceover detailing how the band continued to grow over the years. After the taste of nostalgia, the members of Silverstein sauntered onstage and blasted into recent releases “Negative Space” and “Drain the Blood.”

Partway through the show, Told paused to share how their setlist was an “emo time-machine,” starting off with their newest songs and working their way through their old material. There was never a dull moment as they played hit after hit from their long-spanning career, such as “The Afterglow” off of 2017’s Dead Reflection and “Vices” off of 2009’s Shipwreck In The Sand. Everyone sang along as they ended with the iconic “Smile in Your Sleep” from their notable 2005 album Discovering The Waterfront.

Told started out the encore solo with an acoustic rendition of “My Heroine,” the rest of the band joining for “Smashed Into Pieces” and “Bleeds No More” off their debut album When Broken Is Easily Fixed – a perfect send off after journeying through decades of music. Every song is its own chapter in the ongoing story of Silverstein, and even after 25 years the band is still as strong as ever. Here’s to the next 25 years!